Something More
by A Crownless Queen
Summary: A series of drabbles and oneshots. The main pairing is NaLu though other characters may appear.
1. Growing Pains

Growing Pains

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**Summary: **He was a dragon, and she wouldn't be the one to keep him grounded.  
**Pairings/Characters: **Natsu, Lucy, Happy, some Natsu/Lucy if you squint, I suppose  
**Rating/Warnings: **K+/tiny bit of language, spoilers for chapter 416

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**WHAT **had he been thinking? Leaving her with only a note? He had not even had the decency to face her and say a proper good bye. She would kill him; _kill _him. She would skin him to within an inch of his life. She couldn't . . . she couldn't lose another friend.

Lucy's heart was in her throat as she tore through the ravaged streets of Magnolia, running as face as her legs allowed her to despite the fact her breathing came out in hoarse gasps. The few survivors left turned to look at her with unadulterated confusion and a hint of wariness, but their faces were surreal and blurred together. She stumbled over some cracked concrete, but somehow she managed not to twist her ankle.

She had to find them. _She had to find them. _She couldn't stand another unresolved goodbye if it came down to it. And how _could _they leave her now, when the guild had disbanded not even a day ago? _Everyone _was leaving Fairy Tail, even him. She didn't understand why . . . Fairy Tail was all they had left, all of them.

Her vision was blurry now, and her eyes felt hot. There was this great big gaping expanse in her chest already, and she just _had _to catch up with them . . . she couldn't lose another friend, especially Natsu, or Happy. Not now, not ever. Even if it was technically temporary, she didn't think she could survive a year without them.

What kind of excuse was training anyway?

"NATSU," she screamed. "HAPPY!"

The hastily erected shelters began to stand out suddenly; their dull, muted colors of brown and grey seemed to laugh at her, like they were mocking her efforts. Magnolia was obliterated. Fairy Tail had disbanded. Aquarius died. Natsu and Happy, and everyone else, was either gone or going, and she didn't understand _why_. Weren't they all supposed to be this one big happy family? Or had Tartaros and Zeref destroyed that?

No closure what so ever . . .

"NATSU!" she screamed as she came around a bend, probably sounding like a banshee or something. She didn't care. She didn't bloody care anymore. She was sick and tired of trying to fit in with everyone else, of trying to pretend to be someone she was not. If they had a problem with her, then they would just have to deal with it themselves. She wasn't going to pretend anymore. She wasn't going to be someone she wasn't.

"HAPPY!"

And somehow, she saw a blue flank with white wings extended, floating next to a shock of bright pink. They stood out like a beacon, and the surge of relief was so profound that she doubled over. It felt like needles were stabbing at her heart, and she wanted to scream and cry and laugh all at the same time. She wanted to punch him and kiss Natsu at the same time.

"Lu-shee!" Happy's small, yet so very large, voice penetrated through her, and her legs buckled out from underneath her weight suddenly. She didn't even have enough air to gasp in surprise, but something caught her and hauled her up until her feet just barely brushed the ground. She shuddered all over, swiping at her eyes to clear the blurriness from them. It never went away.

She barely registered being put down gently on something hard or Natsu's hands resting on her waist, guiding her to her temporary perch. She didn't feel Happy landing on her lap, or saw them exchange nervous glances with each other.

Her tongue felt like it had been glued to the roof of her mouth though, as she babbled a mantra of "Please don't go" over and over until Natsu squatted so that they were at eyelevel. Her vision blurred again as she raised her hands to gnaw on her fingernails, but he caught them and engulfed her small and so very cold hands in his large, warm hands.

"Luce," his voice was a bit hoarse and worn. "Lucy, I have to go. I need to—"

"Screw becoming stronger!" she shouted, unable to hold it in even though he hadn't even finished his sentence. "Everyone's leaving, Natsu—I thought Fairy Tail sticks together—why is everyone going? You don't _need _to become stronger, we—we can protect ourselves—and, and …" she didn't even know how to continue, and his face was so very, very sad. "Why can't I come with you?"

Natsu shook his head, and she wondered how his eyes were so bright. But wait, he wasn't _happy _. . . and the fire she was used to seeing, the metamorphical fire in his eyes . . . where was it?

"I can't tell you Lucy," he whispered. "I swear to God if I could, I would've, but I can't. It's too dangerous, and I don't want to hurt you—any of you. I almost didn't let Happy come . . ." he looked genuinely distressed, and she felt a bit sick to her stomach. She didn't want to believe him, but he wasn't a liar by nature. He couldn't pull an act to save his life, let alone one this good.

"Then why didn't you say goodbye to my face? And how are you so _calm_?"

"I'm _not_ calm," his lips pulled back into a sneer as he dropped his gaze. The temperature around them increased a couple of degrees. "I'm not calm inside, note where it matters. Ig—_he _told me something, and then when I was younger he said something about keeping control over my emotions since I'm a fire mage _and _a dragon slayer and I never thought it was important until I lost him and . . ." He took a deep gulp of air; exhaled; shook his head again. "And there's something else; another reason why I need to master my emotions and train. I-I have to be able to combat it, or at least control it."

A look of fear settled across his features, and that more than anything else convinced her that this wasn't some great big act. The only time he was scared . . . she didn't even remember the last time he had been scared.

"And this was the reason I didn't say bye to your face," he gestured between them with his hand. Before she had time to get offended, he tacked on mercilessly, "I don't _want _to leave. I don't want to leave you, or Magnolia, or—" he stopped himself. "But I have to. I _won't _let this curse be my downfall, or yours . . . I won't let anyone get hurt because of me. Ah great," he added, running his hand across his face. "I'm crying again. I'm pathetic."

She shook her head, the phantom ache in her chest coming back at his words. "You're _not _pathetic, Natsu. I-I think it's all right to cry when you're grieving, it's only natural. A-and . . ." she shivered and hugged herself. Why was it so cold anyway? She shook her head, unable to find more words. Her mind was frustratingly blank of arguments to keep him here. Maybe she shouldn't _try_, shouldn't try to keep him here. Maybe he needed to go, if only for his peace of mind.

"All right," she told herself. "Fine. Okay."

It hurt. It bloody _hurt_. It was physically hurting her, letting him go, but she didn't care. She wouldn't let him stay if he needed to go. She wasn't going to be selfish; this clearly wasn't about her, or Fairy Tail, or even Natsu himself anymore.

It was . . . the end of an era.

The realization came to her with an almost light-bulb quality. It was the end of an era, and she didn't know what was going to happen next. She didn't know where she stood. They were all on shaky grounds; anything could happen. All they could do was to live each day and hope for the best.

She pulled his chin up with her fingers, but he didn't meet her gaze. "Natsu. Natsu, look at me. _Look at me_." His eyes moved to hers slowly, and she caught her breath in the back of her throat. She couldn't do this, she wanted to keep him . . . but she couldn't keep him. She had to let him go. He wasn't meant to be grounded with the weak humans; he was a dragon. He was meant to fly.

And fly he will.

"You'll be great," she whispered, for his ears alone. Happy had been silent through their whole exchange. "You'll be great one day, Natsu Dragneel. You're already so . . ." she shook her head, unable to explain it, what she saw in him already. "I'm so lucky to have known you."

"I'll come back," he said quietly. "Luce, I'm coming back."

She sniffled. "I know, and I'm leaving my window unlocked. But you'll have changed. Both of us _are_ changing. In a way, you won't be the same, and I won't be the same either."

He looked a bit surprised. "You're staying?"

She laughed, though it sounded a bit shaky and high-pitched, even to herself.

"Yeah, I'm staying here. At least one of us will be here when you're back, and that's a promise I intend to keep."

His lips twitched up.

"Okay then." He stood and she allowed herself to be pulled back onto her feet. He stared at her for a moment, and that sad look crossed onto his face again. "I'm sorry I'm doing this to you. I'm being a bastard . . ."

She shook her head. "No, Natsu, you're not. You're coming back, remember?"

He smiled a small smile, shouldered his bag, and glanced up at Happy. The small feline shrugged and hopped off his perch in the tree, extending his wings so that he landed in Lucy's arms. She pulled him close to her chest, wondering if it was possible to keep him here, and Natsu looked at her again.

"If I see any gate keys that don't have owners, I'll get them for you."

She blinked back tears again.

"Don't blow up too many buildings." She warned him.

"Got it."

"Don't eat yourselves broke."

"Yup."

"Do you have everything you need?" she asked. This time, he really _did _smile.

"I do." He shifted nervously and Happy pulled away from her arms. She let him go too. "Thanks, Luce."

She wiped at her eyes again, she didn't want to cry. "Hurry up then. Go. Before I change my mind."

He looked torn for a moment, before he tilted his head at her, a strange, curious light in his eyes. "I'll miss you."

She stared at him. He sounded like he wanted to say something else, but had chosen not to. Maybe there was something else he meant to say, or maybe he was trying to tell her something. Though why he'd choose _now _to resort to riddles was beyond her . . .

"I'll miss you too," she answered truthfully. He smiled at her once more, then turned around and began to walk away. She stood still, watching him disappear into the blue horizon.

She wanted to go after him. She wanted to scream at him, punch him and kiss him all at once. She wanted to make him stay here. She didn't want anything to change.

But it had.

They were different now. She had already seen it. She doubted that even one week ago she would've been able to let him go. Now though . . . they had both matured. He was taking responsibility, and she would do her best to become a better person while he was gone.

She would be strong. They would heal over time, and she had to feeling that neither of them could if they stayed where they were. She wouldn't trap him.

Maybe their friendship would fade, or maybe when he came back, it would be stronger than before. Maybe these strange feelings she got whenever she was around him would fade. She didn't know.

What she did know was that they stood on shaky grounds. They stood at a fork in the path; at a crossroad. They stood at the end of an era, and nothing from here on out was going to be the same.

As the sun finally set in the horizon and Lucy finally began the long trek back to her house, she finally knew what she was going to do despite the long shadows the light behind her made on this road.

She was going to be brave.

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_Only know you love her when you let her go  
And you let her go_

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**Author's Note: **Probably a bit melodramatic that ending, but I feel fully justified in having it. AND THE FEELS OF THIS ARC- iuhkuhkjhjhjh

Anyway, my headcanon is that; a) Natsu knows he's END somehow, which is why he decided to train and b) they've matured over this arc (ohmygosh).

And feel free to cantact me via review (or PM) to spasm out over this, though it may take a while for me to respond. :)

Oh, the lyrics are to "Let her Go" by Passanger. :)

Thanks everyone,

**TheDragonRider**


	2. Crime and Punishment

Crime and Punishment

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**Summary: **"I'm going." / "I won't let you go." / "I can't endanger you. I'm sorry."

_This is written for the 2015 Writting Challenges: Sensory Perception (Week Six) on the Heart of Camelot._

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**IT'S** over.

Lucy stares up at him, heart in her throat, as he stumbles away, his eyes turning from that burning white color to black again. His whole figure radiates horror, but his eyes are locked on hers and she can't look away.

"I—I . . ." Natsu's— _Natsu Dragneel, _not _Etherious _Natsu Dragneel, it's not END—it's just Natsu—voice is shaking. "Oh my god. I can't . . . _I _did that. Lucy, I almost—I could have killed you—I—I—"

"Natsu!" Gray's voice is harsh, but his breathing is labored. Lucy turns around to see the mangled form of one of her closest friends on the ground, and she stifles the small shriek that wants to escape. She didn't know it's so bad. "Stop panicking—I need you to cauterize my side. Before it bleeds out."

He groans then. Natsu steps forward, almost reluctantly, and then he takes another step. He collapses by Gray's side, and Lucy falls with him. She presses her hands against Gray's wound, not caring about the sticky, warm blood that's staining her hands red. She almost feels sick.

"Wendy—"

"No time," she says, her tone bordering desperate. She doesn't want to think. Doesn't want to remember. Doesn't want to _look _at the black horns protruding from his wild tangle of pink hair. Her hands shake. "He's lost more than half of the blood in his body."

Natsu's eyes are round, and his mouth opens a little, then it snaps shut and his gaze hardens in determination. She notices his hands are shaking as he holds them out, over the left side of Gray's abdomen and her hands. The pose reminds her a little of when Wendy heals someone.

"Get him something to bite on. It's gonna hurt real bad."

She casts her gaze over the clearing. There. Wood. She lunges over and grabs the thin branch, then tore some of the bottom off her already torn skirt off and wraps it around the branch. Her hands shake, and she nicks her knuckle against the wood, drawing blood, but she barely notices the pain. She puts it in Gray's open mouth, trying not to look at his eyes. She meets Natsu's gaze and nods.

"I'm sorry."

She closes her eyes to block the sight, but the _sounds _coming from Gray . . .

Bile rises in the back of her throat—or is it the front? The burning, bitter acid is in her mouth and she can't stop it from coming out. She feels weak, pathetic—she's not even the one in pain, and now she's sicking up. But she can't stop the retching.

Soft hands eventually press against her back, but she still can't stop heaving. When she finally is able to look up, she meets Erza's sad brown eyes, which look away. Her eyes fall on Natsu and Gray, the former ashen and the latter's eyes are closed.

"Is he . . . ?" she whispers. Erza shakes her head.

She swipes her hand against the back of her mouth and stumbles over to Natsu's side. She rests her hand on his back, and she can feel his trembling. He's cold too, not hot.

"I'm a monster," his voice is soft. "I could have killed him . . . I _burnt _him."

She wraps her arm around his back, but she can't find anything to say. For the first time in her life, she's honestly at a lost for words. She doesn't know how to comfort him.

"You're not a monster." She says, but her voice sounds weak even to her own ears. He doesn't look at her.

She looks up, suddenly curious their surroundings. Soft, mossy grass is scratching against her legs. The sky is so overcast that she wonders why it hasn't rained yet. The humidity makes her hair stick to her neck.

"Come," Erza's voice is soft. "Wendy's nearby, and Gray's out of death's way."

She stands, guiding Natsu up with her. She accidentally brushes a hand against one of the wings, dark and cold as night, and his eyes move so quickly she thinks he's trying to laser a tree.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to." She says softly. He shakes his head. "He'll be all right, Natsu."

"It doesn't change the fact that I did this to him." He murmurs.

She pauses, then sighs. "No, it doesn't."

[***]

Later, Lucy stands next to Natsu. Sunbeams break through the gray clouds, turning them into a strange golden color, creating a sort of haunting, ethereal beauty around them. She's sure if none of this had happened, it would have taken her breath away.

He begins to pace, running his hand through his hair, brushing against the black horns that protrude through his hair. The bat-like wings attached to his back falls against the ground. She feels one of them brush her foot, which leaves a tingly feeling behind despite the fact that she feels colder than ice.

"Natsu, you're injured." She says. He pauses, then comes over, sitting heavily on the ground. She falls to her knees in front of him, wincing at the dull ache that extends from them, but watch him drop his head in his hands. She rummages through the bag she's brought with her and pulls out a bandage and antiseptic. She touches his arm, and realizes he's trembling.

"You should leave me," he murmurs. "After all, there's no sense in being around a monster that can attack at any moment."

She presses her lips together. "You're not a monster. And besides, you stopped yourself."

His hand snakes out and grabs the lower part of her arm, so that she can't treat his wounds.

"This time, maybe. But what about the next? And what the _Hell _were you thinking, flinging yourself out in front of Gray like that?" He lifts his head. The whites of his eyes are bloodshot and there're tears coming from them. "I could have _killed_ _you_, dammit."

It pains her to see him this way—so vulnerable. He's the strong one, not her. But she supposes everyone can't be strong all the time.

She leans forward. "But you _didn't, _did you? You stopped yourself."

"This time!" His voice is bordering feral as he drops his gaze. She grabs his chin with her free hand, forcing him to look at her in the eyes. "I would have killed Gray." The admission is so quiet she can barely hear it above the rustle of the leaves in the wind.

"I know," she replies. "But you didn't."

He pulls away from her and stands up, running his hand through his hair. She stands too.

"But _why_? Why would you do that?"

"Fling myself in front of Gray?" He nods. "Because he's my nakama, and I know you'll never forgive yourself if you kill him."

He presses his hands against the sides of his head, squeezing his eyes shut. "And if I had hurt you? Killed you? Mavis, Lucy—you're more precious to me than life itself."

Her heart stuttered. "What?"

He turns around, flinging a hand out. "I can't—I can't let you die. I can't let myself _hurt you_. Mavis, I care about you so much that it makes my chest hurt so bad and I can't loose you and I won't let myself hurt you and—and—" He's breathing hard, but he takes a step back and turns his head away, taking the heat away with him. "I have to protect you."

Her breathing quickens. "H-huh?"

"I'm going."

Her heart seems to stop. She's suddenly so cold and she remembers the year she spent without him. She shakes her head.

"I won't let you go."

Natsu steps forward, his eyes flashing, but she holds her ground. His hand's on her bicep, so tight it's almost painful but she tightens her jaw. She doesn't care if she's being selfish. She just can't let him go again. She can't live through that again.

"Lucy, I'm doing this to _protect _you." His words are desperate, but there's fear in them as well. She presses her hand against his metal-coated arm, trying to ignore how she can't feel _any _warmth radiating from him. "You don't understand. If I hurt you, I don't think I could live with myself. No, I _can't._"

"You're running away," she stepped forward, the hot ball in her chest exploding. "You're running away, _again. _Just like last time! You're being a selfish ass—only thinking of yourself and not anyon—"

_"Selfish?! _Do you think I _want _to—"

"Yes I do! You're not thinking of anyone else but yourself! How do you think Happy will feel if you run away? Gray? Erza? Wendy? _Me_? You're being a coward, Natsu Dragneel!"

She doesn't know how it happens. One moment, they're only steps away from doing something to harm the other, the next, he's yanking her up and then his lips collide with hers. She doesn't stop to think. All the anger, fear and desperation bursts and she wants to take it out on _him. _

Her hands claw their way up his chest and yank on his hair, pulling him down and somehow closer to her. One hand buries in her hair, and the other hand's so tight on her waist that she's positive they're breaking her skin but she doesn't care as she presses into him. There's too much space between them, despite the fact that she's sure there's no space between their bodies. There's too much space and not enough, and she can't get enough of him and she's terrified and she's never realized how much she's _loved him—_

His mouth drops from her lips and onto her shoulder, and he leaves a trail of fire. She throws her head back, sure she's calling his name as her fingers bury into the skin on the back of his neck and she can't let him go—she _needed him like he was air. _His lips connect with hers again, and this time his tongue touches opens her lips and she's not sure if he had forced them open or if she had all ready opened them.

Then he pulls away from her abruptly but his hands tighten like he doesn't _want _to.

"I want this . . ." his breathing his labored and his eyes are shadowed. "Oh Mavis, I want this so _bad. _But I _can't, _Lucy. I just . . . I can't endanger you. I'm sorry."

And just like that, he was gone.

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**Note: **The picture on the cover was what inspired this. Please feel free to cry with me. I haven't recovered yet. From any of it.


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